Pianist, Composer, Bandleader, Vocalist
“. . . the sound is all Swiggett’s: refined and confident, open and inviting.”
– All About Jazz
Pianist and composer Nelda Swiggett has been a vibrant force in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene since the early 1990s. Her compositions blend jazz with Afro-Cuban, gospel and classical influences, creating a distinctive and engaging sound. Swiggett’s ensembles, including her trio, quintet, and sextet, have graced stages at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Bumbershoot, and the Earshot Jazz Festival. She is an award-winning composer and OA2 recording artist. Her five album releases have received rave reviews and extensive airplay around the globe. Nelda’s big band arrangements of her original music have been performed by Seattle’s nationally recognized Garfield High School Jazz Band, the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, and others. Nelda currently co-leads Clif & Nelda’s Little Big Band with her trombonist husband, Clif Swiggett; composes for the Megabopolis sextet; and performs “For the Birds” — live music, images and poetry invite reflection on our changing climate — with the Nelda Swiggett Quintet. She is also in demand as a solo pianist, side woman and jazz educator.
featured Shows
Thursday, March 12. Jazz at The Tasting Room concert series. 7 – 9 PM. Clif & Nelda’s Little Big Band with special guest percussionist Jeff Busch. 1924 Post Alley, Pike Place Market, Seattle. (206) 770-9463.
Jeff Busch is an exuberant drummer/percussionist, vocalist, and composer whose passion for soulful music of varied traditions has led him to perform with jazz, blues, and gospel groups–as well as calypso, samba, and Cuban jazz ensembles. His work over the past 20 years has included performances and recordings with three-time Grammy winning vocalist Carlos Cascante (of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra), and three-time Latin-Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto.
Sunday, March 15. The Royal Room. The Swiggett Family in concert. 6 – 8 pm. 5000 Rainier Avenue South, Columbia City. (206) 906-9920. Jack Swiggett (Piano/keys, Bass, EWI, Vocals), Dylan Swiggett (Drums, Guitar, Vocals), Nelda Swiggett (Piano/keys, Vocals) and Clif Swiggett (Trombone, Bass, Percussion, Vocals).
Get Tickets. Facebook Event.
Friday, March 27. Jazz at The Tasting Room concert series. 7 – 9 PM. Clif & Nelda’s Little Big Band with special guest vocalist Gail Pettis. 1924 Post Alley, Pike Place Market, Seattle. (206) 770-9463.
Two-time winner of Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award “Northwest Vocalist of the Year,” Gail Pettis was born in Kentucky and raised in Gary, Indiana. Pettis, who’d played French horn in high school, began nurturing a new passion for jazz vocals in her early forties. In 2006, Pettis began making music full-time. With two records to her name, Pettis won the Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Competition in 2006, served as an artist-in-residence at Amherst Jazz Festival the same year, and has performed with Gene Harris, New Manhattan Big Band, and Eddie Conard.
current projects
media
“Swiggett has a unique touch…intensely appealing pianism…a voice with a depth similar to that of Abbey Lincoln…”
– Lofton A Emenari, WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago
“…a stunning project…held together by the highly original mind of Ms. Swiggett.”
– JazzTimes
“… a bright palette, a sinewy execution and a powerful, assertive command… the sound is all Swiggett’s: refined and confident, open and inviting.”
– All About Jazz
“Jessica Jennifer Williams comes to mind…we are in that territory.”
– Wondering Sound Reviews
“Swiggett’s vocal delivery is satisfyingly to-the-point, and behaves only as one ingredient, equal to all others…”
– Midwest Record
“Her music is precise without being dry, clean without being dull, and light without being fluff. The sound is as clear, direct and crisp as the gaze of her piercing blue eyes.”
– Earshot Magazine
“Seattle based pianist Nelda Swiggett has a bright smooth swinging quality to her mainstream approach and a minimalist almost bare knuckles attitude. Her key strokes are bold and assertive, as if she knows exactly the direction of her music.”
– All Music Guide
David Lange Studios
“The Alaska Suite”
“For the Birds”
teaching
Nelda teaches private jazz piano lessons in Seattle and on Zoom. She also coaches student jazz combos at Seattle’s Jazz Night School, and is available for clinics, workshops and adjudications.